1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing method in which quality of a film on a semiconductor substrate is improved by irradiating electron beams onto the film.
2. Related Art
In general, in a low-dielectric-constant insulating film (referred to as a Spin On Dielectric film, hereinafter) coated on a wafer, a polymerization reaction or a cross-linking reaction is generated normally by heat treatment so as to obtain a desired film structure. It is known that, by performing the heat treatment, the reaction is facilitated, whereby enhancement of the insulating performance of an insulating film, reduction of the dielectric constant, and enlargement of the mechanical strength can be achieved.
By not only performing the heat treatment but also using electron beams, it is possible to obtain an insulating film having a film structure which is formed at low temperature and at a short time, and is not available by heat treatment only. More specifically, without raising the dielectric constant of the insulating film, mechanical strength and adhesiveness of a film interface can be enhanced through electron-beam irradiation (refer to, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Pubs. No. 2002-353212 and No. 2004-253749).
In general, in irradiating electron beams, in order to reduce electron loss in the space between an electron emitting surface of an electron gun and a substrate surface of a target wafer and to control the energy of electrons, the wafer is placed within a vacuum chamber to be processed.